


Sometimes We Both Lose Our Minds (to find the better road)

by this_empty_room



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate take on s1, Felicity meets the Vigilante, Felicity was adopted by Walter, Friendship to Love, Multi, Oliver and Felicity are stepsiblings when he returns from Lian Yu, Slow Burn, Vigilantism, oneshots not in chronological order, reference to underage drinking and drugs, s1 rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-08-20 14:03:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8251801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_empty_room/pseuds/this_empty_room
Summary: Returning back to his old life in Starling City, Oliver had anticipated and planned for many things. Carrying out the mission his father had bestowed on him, falling back into his old irresponsible persona, hiding his true self from his family and friends, and protecting them at all costs. The one thing he hadn’t planned on was gaining 2 new family members, his stepfather Walter Steele and Felicity Smoak, his childhood friend, now also his stepsister. Regardless of the changes and surprises, he knows he has to become someone... something else to make those on his father's List pay for their crimes.The story is not being told in chronological order, but a timeline will be provided at the beginning of each chapter.





	1. Got To Be Something Better Than in the Middle (me and Cinderella put it all together)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone  
> So this is my first time writing a fic on my own and I'm super nervous which is why I've been kinda sitting on this one for ages.  
> And it wouldn't have even gotten to you without [nvwhovian](http://nvwhovian.tumblr.com/) and her motivational gifs. She is an amazingly fabulous person who has so graciously given her time to editing this fic and fielding all my crazy.
> 
> As mentioned in the tags and summary, Oliver and Felicity are kinda step-siblings, if that is a thing that you're not comfortable with, you should back out now. If you're staying and giving it a try anyway, thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this verse and journey.  
> This fic is also not going to be linear, so be prepared for that. I will try my best to place them accurately in canon time and if there are modifications I'll mention those. 
> 
> Oh and if anyone would be interested in sending prompts for this verse, please drop me a line. I think it would be great inspiration material and would love to be able to incorporate some, that work, into the story.  
> You can find me as [the-silverforked-sky](https://the-silverforked-sky.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr.  
> Title is from The Poison by The All-American Rejects and the chapter title is from One Headlight by The Wallflowers.
> 
> Okay, that's all from me, enjoy!!!

What on earth was she thinking? _Was she thinking?_ Because it sure as hell didn’t seem like it. He couldn’t believe that she would do something this reckless. A voice in his head, that sounded suspiciously like Diggle, points out that he just didn’t want to believe that she would go to such an extreme but should surely have seen it coming. Loathe as he was to admit it, the voice was right. He should have anticipated this, had seen first-hand her desperation over the last few days. She was Felicity Smoak, probably the most tenacious and focused person he knew. She pursued any and all avenues available when she wanted to solve a mystery, of course she would figure out a way to use this one too.

But contacting and _summoning_  a vigilante to meet her by hacking into his network?! Not to mention a vigilante who has killed? He knows for a fact that she’s smarter than that.

He watches her as she pulls her coat tighter around herself, shivering as she takes trembling steps up and down the small, dark walkway. Her eyes keep darting around and she flinches at the smallest sound. Good, atleast she knows that she should be scared right now. She checks her phone screen, for the time he assumes. He is a couple of minutes late to this “meeting” but he’d needed the time to get over the shock that she was the one who’d demanded his presence.

It had only been last night that he’d gotten the “message”. He was trying to dig up dirt on the latest target on the List when suddenly all the screens went blank. Only the message asking the Starling City Vigilante to meet at 10pm at this location (a quiet and deserted part of the marina along the Starling City Bay that was located in the Glades and had been long abandoned) had kept flashing. He’d been furious that someone had got into his systems so easily, the anger the only thing keeping the fear that his secret had been discovered at bay. He had accepted the fact that he may have to kill whoever this person was, even if the person was relatively innocent or an amateur trying their luck. The choice of location was a giveaway that the person wasn't an experienced fighter so he would be able to get out with minimal damage if it came to that. The thought of it being a SCPD trap had crossed his mind, but he was sure he could handle them once he’d scouted the area thoroughly.

He took a deep breath, the stench of the acrid Bay jolting him out of his thoughts and clearing his mind. He was ready to do what was necessary. As much as he hates the thought of causing her fear, he knew he had to intimidate her. Enough that she would never consider doing something like this again. He couldn’t let her risk her life like this, going around recklessly contacting dangerous people and setting up meetings where someone could kill her and just dump her body.

He steps out of the shadows, startling her. She lets out a yelp, her grip around her phone tightening and her other hand emerging out of her pocket with a pepper spray can. Atleast she came prepared. “Oh you’re here,” she breathes out. Immediately her face scrunches up, she looks like she wants to do that face-palm, scrunchy-eyed thing she does everytime she lets loose an embarrassing babble, but she knows enough that she shouldn’t take her eyes off him. Given his skill level and the ruthless way he’s killed people, she’s already at a disadvantage. Her thin high heels are not going to improve her situation in any way. He makes a mental note to tell Diggle to give both Thea and Felicity a safety training course, maybe see if he can have any luck trying to stick them both with bodyguards. The latter is probably a far-fetched wish but a man can hope.

“Of course you’re here,” she continues after a moment of silence, “I called you here. Well not called, it was like a message. That I sent you through your network, without giving you much of a choice. That was probably pretty rude, should’ve added a ‘please’.” She mumbles that last sentence, trailing off when he takes a large step bringing himself just a foot away from her.

She stops breathing, her eyes going wide. “[Felicity Smoak](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=218960375).” It feels odd saying her name in the deep voice he uses as the Hood, a voice usually reserved for the scum he targets. He’s used to saying her name gently, always gentle with her, the syllables bringing a pleasant and soothing feeling over him, as they always have. But he can’t afford to be gentle with her now. As much as it goes against his every instinct where she’s concerned, he has to threaten her. “A ‘please’ is really not going to help you out in this situation,” he growls at her.

“You know my name. How do you know my name?” she says as she finally releases the breath.

“That’s not important. What’s more important is what you know about me or rather what you think you know.” He pulls out an arrow from his quiver, nocking it on the bow. He keeps the bow and arrow pointed towards the ground though, he may be trying to scare her but he’s not going to take any chances by pointing his weapon at her. She stumbles back a few steps, barely keeping her balance, when she sees him pulling out the arrow. The hand clutching the pepper spray has gone limp at her side and is no defense at all. Her legs are trembling so much, he wonders how she’s standing straight. But she refuses to turn and run. She’s not willing to cut this chance short no matter how terrified she is. It's admirable, this trait of hers. He’s always admired her strength. Looking at her, he feels a strange mix of pride, awe and irritation. He takes another step forward, “How did you get into my network?”

Her voice wobbles as she answers, “I… I backtraced the hack on Adam Hunt’s accounts and was able to find a channel to send the message through. I tried to narrow down the location but it pinged off like a thousand different servers in like 20 different countries so I couldn’t. Well I could, if I’d tried but I was short on time.” Her eyes go wide at that last admission, her mouth dropping open as she take two more steps back. “That was probably not the smartest thing to admit to the man who’s carrying a bow and arrow and like so many other weapons. Oh god, please don’t kill me.” She shuts her eyes, taking a deep breath and collecting herself. When she opens them again, she’s less shaky and firm in her words as she informs him, “look, I didn’t try to find your location or snoop through your system. I’m not interested in uncovering your secret, I mean I kind of am because I hate mysteries, but that’s not my priority right now. I just need your help. I need you to help me find my father.”

“I think you’re misunderstanding what it is I do, Miss Smoak,” he practically sneers at her. “I don’t help people find their abducted relatives, that’s what the police is for. I have a separate mission and I’d like to get back to that. So if you’re done wasting my time?”

He’s just about to turn around when he hears her coming closer, her hand shooting out as if to stop him. She stops at the last minute, before she touches him, withdrawing back her hand. “The police have tried, they’re getting nowhere. He’s Walter Steele, high-profile CEO of a Fortune 500 company and I can’t even get the FBI to pick up the case. I can’t think of anyone that has the ability and resources you have. You’re my only hope to find my father.”

The guilt hits him like a fist to the gut, here she is risking her life and getting in touch with the most dangerous man in the city and it's because he’s failed both Walter and her. He’s failing his family- his stepfather and step-sister (though something in him is absolutely disturbed by associating Felicity with the word ‘sister’) and even his mother and Thea. His fear and refusal to wear the hood in the weeks after being beat by the Dark Archer had probably cost them important leads. With almost eight weeks of no update, there's a scarce chance that Walter is still alive. He feels even worse knowing that he’s the reason Felicity can’t get the Feds to work on finding Walter. The orders coming to them from a higher unnamed agency prevent them from taking any action in Starling City.

But it also doesn’t seem like Felicity is going to stop. Her eyes plead with him, and there’s an edge of desperation that he recognizes because he just saw it a few days back. That desperation has already proven to be dangerous, he can’t imagine what else she might do if he refuses her now.

As he looks at her more closely, it's a startling realization that she doesn’t at all look like the put-together Felicity he’s always known. She’s a mess, he knows she hasn’t slept for days. His mother had insisted that Felicity move to the mansion for a few weeks for her own safety and also so that she wasn’t left alone to deal with Walter’s abduction. The first few weeks she had left it up to the SCPD to search for Walter. He could see the way she struggled to let them do their job without interfering or running her own searches. Then a few weeks back, the police had come back to them saying there was nothing more they could do. Since then Felicity had been running herself ragged, frantically searching for clues herself. She’d stay up all night creating and running programs and searches, pacing as she waited for the results and trying so bravely not to break down. She’d hired five different private investigators, and tried to get in touch with any lettered government agency she could. None of it was working out, no one had much hope for Walter’s survival.

He realizes that he has to do this. He has to tell her yes. She can’t keep going on like this. It's not just the danger she might put herself in, it's also about her health and peace of mind. He doesn’t know how much he can actually do or what he can find, but she needs someone to share this weight with her. To help her and protect her. He can’t do any of that as Oliver Queen, but he can as the Hood. It would mean regularly contacting her for leads and meeting up to pass information. It not only puts his identity at risk but being seen or connected to him could turn out to be very dangerous for her. He can protect her though. She doesn’t need to know who he is under the hood, and he’s not going to reveal himself to her. It's the one way he knows for sure to keep her safe.

Just as he’s about to give her an answer, he sees her resolving herself, a fire lighting in her eyes, “Fine, if you don’t want to help, don’t. I’ll find someone else.” She takes a step to walk past him and he has to resist putting his hand on her shoulder in what is a familiar move to both of them.

He moves into her path instead, “I will help you find your father. I have to warn you though, we don’t know what state we might find him in. _If_ we find him. We do this whole thing my way. I will contact you. If you try to backtrace my location, this deal is off.”

She sighs in relief, her eyes brighter than they have been in weeks, the inkling of hope enough for her. “I know that there’s no guarantee of how we’ll find him, but I need answers. And you’re in charge. Not that this gives you free reign to boss over me or anything, but like in charge of this mission. I will listen to your advice on mission-related things. Except for tech stuff because that’s my specialty, which you already kind of knew.”

He has to bite back a smile at her statement of not letting anyone boss her around. She hasn’t let anyone tell her what she can or should do since she was a kid, was very adamant about it. It’s nice to see that hasn’t changed one bit. As much as he would like to bang his head against the wall that she would just apparently throw out statements like that to a guy who’s ‘WANTED’ posters are flashed all around the city, he can’t help the amusement and admiration that hits him once again.

“Felicity.” Damn it, why did he use her first name. He makes his tone gruffer, “when I tell you to stop or that there’s nothing more you can do, you stop. Do you understand?” She’s about to argue, he can see it. But she did agree to him being in charge for the mission and this is part of it. “We agreed to you following my lead for this mission,” he reminds her.

She harrumphs, but nods her head in agreement.

Looks like he’s going to be working with his… Felicity to find Walter. He wonders what Digg will have to say about this new arrangement. Since she’s already involved maybe they can get occasional tech help from Felicity, instead of relying on Diggle or terrifying random tech geeks around the city.

 

 


	2. Reflections still look the same to me (as before I went under)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity attends Oliver’s Welcome Home party and the two finally have a chance to catch up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii... So it’s been super long since I posted the first chapter and then left you all hanging. I feel so terrible about it, but the past 2 semesters have been crazy hectic. But hopefully this chapter partially makes up for it. Now that I’m off, I hope to have a more consistent update schedule. I’m so excited about this verse and have so many ideas I want to share, so I hope you’ll stick around.
> 
> Thanks a lot to @nvwhovian who's been fielding all my crazy and paranoia as I worked up to posting this chapter. And to her and @beinmyheart for editing this chapter!! 
> 
> As mentioned in the summary, Oliver and Felicity are kinda step-siblings, if that is a thing that you’re not comfortable with, you should back out now. If you’re staying and giving it a try anyway, thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this verse and journey.
> 
> Title is from The Poison by The All-American Rejects and the chapter title is from Never Let Me Go by Florence & the machine

[She’s](http://www.polyvore.com/olivers_welcome_home_party/set?id=219523432) standing at the bar at Oliver’s Welcome Home Bash waiting for the barkeep to notice and maybe serve her. Tommy needs to hire better bartenders for his parties, what is the point of free-flowing alcohol if you’re not even served? That makes her sound like she’s an alcoholic or something, she’s not for the record. It’s just that being sober around so many drunk people is giving her a headache, and maybe she just needs a drink to take the edge off.  

There’s been way too many changes and surprises over the last few days. Not that they’ve been bad ones per se, they’re actually good. Happy even. Oliver is alive. That is amazing, and it makes so many people she cares about incredibly happy, including her. But changes need adjustments and that is pretty stressful. She’s just glad she isn’t living in the Queen Mansion. In the past few years she’s started to feel weird and out of place there, being in that house makes her jittery. With Oliver suddenly back, there’s a tension that hangs over the entire household that she would rather avoid. And with her propensity to babble about inappropriate things, she would probably just end up making things even more awkward.

Then there’s also the fact that she and Oliver are now bound by family… or something. For all intents and purposes, Oliver is her step-brother now. Which is incomprehensible to her. She knew this would be the case since her dad married Moira, she’d even readily accepted Thea as her new step-sister. But it was different when thinking about Oliver. All these years, it had been a vague idea, a ‘what if’ hinging on Oliver being alive. But now he is alive and this new relation between them is making things all messy in her head. Since she had met him, he’d always been her friend; she’d never really thought of him as a brotherly figure. For a brief period of time, she’d even had a tiny crush on him- having the attention of two of the most notorious heartbreakers in Starling City will do that to a girl. She’d grown out of it, obviously, but that doesn’t mean it lessens the complication in any way. 

A sudden din falls over the crowd and she looks up to see that Oliver’s entrance has commanded their attention. She observes him as Tommy introduces him and he raises a ridiculous toast to tequila (of all things). She watches as he feeds the public what they want, having them eating out of his palm, perfectly playing up the devil-may-care attitude Ollie Queen was known for. She wonders if he’s putting up a front, playing up what he thinks people want to see, even after he’s spent five years isolated. Or if he’s actually not changed a bit. If it’s the former, he’s still not able to completely hide the things he doesn’t want others to see. It’s given away more by what’s missing than what is there. Those expressive blue eyes, that could make anyone he paid attention to feel like the centre of the universe, are vacant now- as though they’ve been purposely kept so. She’s sure the others have noticed too, but they’re so distracted by acting as if no time has passed at all, that they just accept his unbothered act and overall okay-ness. It’s not that she _wants_ him to be damaged or have difficulty coping but it just seems off to her. You don’t spend five years isolated from civilization, without it leaving some mark or changing you in some way. She feels they need to be prepared for it, prepared to help Oliver in whatever way they can, instead of just ignoring it till it goes away. But then again, she’s never quite settled into the elite’s mentality of brushing things under the carpet, she’s not made for hiding from the truth.

That’s not the only thing she has noticed either. Because she’s definitely not missed that delicious looking scruff or the shorter hair which looks so much better than the weird serial killer hair he had before. And don’t even get her started on the way his suit highlights his very wide and muscular shoulders and biceps. He was cute before but now he’s devastatingly handsome and _this_ is why she’s keeping her distance. She’s already practically drooling over him, how is she supposed to conduct a conversation with him where they address their new status as family.  

She watches as his eyes scan through the room and the crowd, catching on hers with some surprise. She wonders why. Sure she doesn’t really fit in with this crowd consisting of mainly fangirls, but she’s here to support her close friends. She doesn’t doubt her connection with Tommy, they’ve become closer and built that friendship back up since she returned home. Where Oliver is concerned though, she’s unsure about what kind of reception she would get. They’d definitely drifted apart a bit, for a couple of years before he left on that fateful trip, but it seemed natural given that the boys were venturing out to various colleges while she’d been focused on graduating early from high school and getting into MIT. But they’d kept in touch regularly enough that she hadn’t ever thought it would affect their long-term friendship. Five years, on the other hand, was a whole different can of worms. Especially given that Oliver didn’t seem all too thrilled with welcoming her dad, and probably by extension her, into the family. She breaks their eye contact then, the thought that Oliver may refuse their friendship is painful and she isn’t ready to expose that that vulnerability to anyone. 

As she cranes her head looking for someone who can fix her a drink, she hears a voice close to her ear, “Hi Felicity, need me to buy you a drink?” She startles, turning around to come eye to chest level with Oliver himself. 

“Oliver,” and her voice comes out sounding breathy, she needs to make it stop sounding like that. It’s just Oliver, and he’s teasing her just like he would years ago when they would talk and banter and be uncomplicated friends. No big deal. She looks up to meet his eyes, seeing a hint of amusement and fondness that gets past the shadows in them. “Haha, I can buy myself a drink now, with my real ID too. Also it’s an open bar.”

His lips lift into a small smile, minuscule really in comparison to the toothy dimpled smiles and laughter she’s seen on him, but there all the same. More than that though, it lightens his eyes and manages to put some of her uncertainties to rest, which makes it all the better. “Guess you don’t need me and Tommy to supply you with fake IDs anymore. Shame, I’d got a new set I was gonna gift you for getting through finals. Really creative names too.” She narrows her eyes at him and he chuckles, his eyes and voice softening even more, “it’s good to see you again Felicity.” He extends his arms a little, it’s such an awkward gesture but very clear in its intention. So she pushes herself into him without hesitation, wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms tighten around her back and she melts into him, nostalgia and an incredible amount of joy rushing into her as she revels in the feeling of him being alive and home.

“It’s so good to have you back Oliver. I’ve missed you a lot,” she mumbles into his neck. 

She’s not even sure if he heard her but then he murmurs back, “me too.” 

She separates from him then, looking anywhere but at him. She feels self-conscious like they’ve already lingered a little too long for a hug between friends, even long lost ones. His heavy gaze doesn’t help all that much either. Then she remembers the events of this morning and her concern can’t be contained. “Are you okay? My dad told me about the kidnapping.”

“I’m alright, really. Not even a scratch, we were found in time, I guess,” his response sounds so practiced, it immediately draws her curiosity but before she can say or ask anything about it, he continues, “so I guess a ‘welcome to the family’ is in order?” And really? That’s what he wants to break the tension with?

His tone sets her on edge too, it sounds pleasant enough and he’s delivering it with a perfectly charming smile, but there’s something cutting about it. She looks at him sharply, the indignation from last night, at his rude remark to her dad during the family dinner, returning. Realizing his mother was remarried was probably a shock, no one would really want to think about how their family may have moved on in their absence. And obviously Moira’s misguided attempt to ease Oliver into the situation by hiding the truth about her new marriage didn’t help much either. But he was downright rude to her father and she won’t stand for that. 

“It would seem so. Though my dad is really the one it should be directed to. And try being a little more genuine that time?” 

As soon as she says it she knows she hit the mark but not in a good way, he looks stung by her snarkiness. And really she didn’t mean to be sassy or nasty about it but she’s also not interested in pulling punches on the matter. Her father means the world to her and Oliver can be shocked at the news, find it difficult to digest and adjust but he _cannot_ disrespect her dad. Nonetheless she softens her tone as she says, “You're not being very fair to him.” 

“Felicity,” he begins, “it’s my mom and also Thea… they’re too important and I wasn’t prepared. I’m still not. I didn’t expect…” he trails off seeming to not know how to continue.

“Didn’t expect is probably an understatement,” she scoffs, trying to lighten the moment. She gets where he's coming from, they’re both just trying to protect their respective parents.

“Oliver, I understand,” she continues and then modifies, “kind of, some of it, because your experience has been very different and I can’t know everything you’ve been through. But I do understand a certain aspect of it. Seeing your mom with someone new, seeing her move on, that was probably not the easiest pill to swallow. I felt that too,” She tries to hide how she still gets a little choked up thinking about her adoptive mother, “even though it’s been years since Alicia passed away.” 

She meets his sharp gaze again to make sure that she’s not completely messing all of this up. He looks a bit more receptive to what she’s saying, so she takes it as a win and continues with as much earnestness as she can, “But something between my dad and Moira just clicked. They helped each other through their pain and they love each other so much. He’s good to her Oliver, to both her and Thea. He loves them so much. And Moira, she makes him happy, happy in a way that I didn’t think I’d see him again. You just need to give him a chance.” 

All of it seems to hit him hard, but he doesn’t look away from her. He nods his head with a “I’ll try.” Not exactly what she was hoping for but an immediate resolution does seem unrealistic. She’s made her point though and he heard her out. That’s the best she can do right now. He seems to be studying her as intently as she is studying him, some of it feels awfully calculating even though he’s trying to hide it behind nonchalance. 

Suddenly she feels a body bumping into her, causing her to lose her balance and stumble right into Oliver. And woah, she completely forgot where they were. This was so not an appropriate place to have such a serious and private conversation. Oliver is holding onto her elbows and her hands are pressed onto his chest from where she tried to catch herself. A very firm chest that feels ridiculously good under her hands and boy does she need to back out of his personal space. Were they really standing that close throughout their conversation? 

She's just starting to back away when Tommy makes his appearance. From the look on his face, he’s apparently got some interesting ideas to get himself and Oliver in trouble running through his mind, and thankfully doesn’t notice the odd tension hanging over her and Oliver. His first sentence just proves that, “There you are! Now by my rough estimate you have not had sex in 1,839 days”

She wrinkles her nose as she looks from Tommy to Oliver and back to Tommy, “I don’t think I needed that information. And did you actually calculate that?”

“Felicity!!” He exclaims, pulling her into a tight hug as if he hadn’t just seen her last night. “Well, no wonder you ran off, I would prefer her company over mine too,” he directs to Oliver as he winks at her. “Of course I calculated it. And I needed to get that number out before I forgot because that is a loooong time. This poor guy had a dry spell of a lifetime, haven’t you buddy? But we’re going to remedy that and as your wingman, I highly recommend Carmen Golden,” with that he turns Oliver by the shoulders to face another large crowd of women.

Oliver looks understandably confused as he asks, “Which one is she?” with a tinge of amusement in his voice like he’s just humoring Tommy.

“The one who looks like the chick from Twilight,” Tommy replies very promptly.

“What's Twilight?” 

“You're so better off not knowing.” The grimace on Tommy’s face and the way he winces, immediately makes her laugh. He really would know, considering he’d been forced to watch all four parts multiple times, including braving premieres, long lines and high-pitched tweens. She’d like to say she doesn’t fold as easily as Tommy does when it comes to Thea, but really that would be such a lie. 

Speaking of whom, she spots Thea and a couple of her “friends”, her good mood vanishing almost instantly. The guy Thea is speaking to may be a new one, but it doesn’t mean that Felicity isn’t aware exactly who he is, or rather what he’s able to supply. She must’ve shown some kind of reaction because she feels both Oliver and Tommy glance at her and then follow her gaze right to Thea. Where she is now exchanging her money for drugs, in what she seriously hopes Thea doesn’t consider an inconspicuous manner. Because she’s being quite obvious. Oliver’s focus just seems to narrow down onto Thea and he barely excuses himself before he’s off. Felicity meets Tommy’s eyes, and he seems to share her thoughts that this situation is not going to go down well at all. Beneath it though, lurks a deep regret and guilt that mirrors hers. The sense of failure that they couldn’t prevent or pull Thea back from this path. That at all of fifteen she’d felt so alone in the world that she’d gotten hooked onto drugs and partying as an escape. She also sees the question in his eyes, if they should interrupt and try to diffuse the situation before it gets bad. She knows though that if anyone has to insert themselves between the siblings, it’s got to be her. Whatever trapped feeling Thea is experiencing will only get worse if she’s confronted by both Oliver and _Tommy._ She puts a hand on Tommy’s arm to reassure him, before she makes a beeline towards Oliver and Thea.  

She quickens her footsteps as she sees Thea breaking out the attitude, when Thea gets into this kind of mood, she’s usually only one wrong word away from tipping over the edge. As she gets closer, she realizes that Oliver has managed to find that tripwire. The pain in Thea’s voice as she tells Oliver that she spent five years thinking he was dead, that the last five years are permanently within her, strike her so hard. It makes her throat tighten and stomach twist up. And she can tell from the way Oliver looks away, that it hits him much harder. Felicity curses herself for not anticipating and misjudging how Oliver’s return is going to affect Thea, for not seeing that Thea too won’t be able to just brush the last five years away like they didn’t happen. 

“I’m sorry if I turned out to be some major disappointment,” she keeps going. 

But no, she’s not. And those words slip out of Felicity’s mouth, “Thea, _no,”_ before she even realizes. It draws both the siblings’ attention to her, and to the fact that she obviously overheard most of the conversation. But her focus is on Thea, who looks like she wants to be anywhere but here. The way her mouth curls up, slightly cruelly and looking so out of place on her face, Felicity knows that she’s found her parting escape line and that it’s going to hurt. She’s not sure if it’s going to be aimed at Oliver or her, or both of them, but she braces herself for it anyway.

“Ollie, you can’t come back here and judge me, especially for being just like you. And now that we have the _perfect_ sibling,” she gestures towards Felicity, “there’s no pressure on either of us. We’re free to screw up however we like.” 

And wow, yeah that stings. She knows that her dad and Moira were pleased with her interest in the company, and that they’d pinned their hopes on her leading QC once they’d be ready to retire. Though she felt the weight of those expectations, she’s tried her best to thrive under the pressure and make them proud. She can barely admit it to herself, but part of it has been the need for validation and attention from her father, while he’d been busy with his new wife and new job, as a reminder that she won’t be forgotten. If she makes them see her, and realize her value, then maybe she won’t be left behind. She never realized that someone else could’ve picked up on it, or that it would be so effective when used against her. Thea directing her friends to “Let’s bounce,” pulls her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she notes that Thea won’t even look at her or Oliver. That more than anything, sets her in motion. If she doesn’t do something to fix this now, forgive Thea for lashing out, then it’s going to turn into a spiral of guilt and avoidance that’s going to turn into more emotional suppression and anger later. And if she can get to Thea and pull her away before she gets high, then Felicity is going to consider it a win for the night. 

Oliver’s soft call of her name, makes her pause. She turns to him, his face is shuttering off but she still catches a glimpse of sorrow and an apology. “I’m going to go talk to her,” she says as she points in the vague direction Thea headed in. 

She takes in a breath then, “I know you have questions and things to say, and a lot of those answers you’re going to hate. I’d say give her time, but I don’t even know if that will work to be honest.”

  
She rises up on her toes, holding onto Oliver’s elbow, as she places a light kiss on his cheek. He stiffens a little, obviously not expecting the contact or closeness. She doesn’t even know why she did it. She’d missed him a lot, it feels like nothing short of a miracle to get one of her closest friends back, and she needs to convey her affection and happiness to him. And really, a little cheek kiss is not so different from their previous hug, it’s what friends or step-siblings do. It just shows that they’re comfortable with each other, and that their relationship is so very platonic. And in line with those thoughts, she completely refuses to acknowledge how her lips still tingle or how her heart skipped a beat for some reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do let me know what you think, and of course prompts for this verse and more than welcome! You can find me on [tumblr](https://the-silverforked-sky.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/silverforkdsky)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it so far, let me know what you think.


End file.
